Deborah Littman loves to teach. For many years she was a teacher in the Los Angeles area, working with kids in Jewish day school and guiding them through the curriculum with a gentle and understanding attitude. She has since retired and moved to New Jersey, but she still has a deep passion for teaching and helping kids learn. As a result, she is now offering tutoring services to kids in first through fifth grade, and is eager to get back to helping children progress and grow on their academic journey.
Littman’s specialties include math, reading, writing and organizational skills. She is open to both virtual and in-person tutoring within the Bergen County area. One of the things she says she’s most excited about is seeing the progress of her students as they learn and understand the material she is teaching.
“I love teaching, and I love working with children,” Littman shared with The Jewish Link. “I once calculated near the end of my career the crazy amount of hours I was working, but the thing is, I got so much satisfaction out of it that I didn’t mind. I love creating material and seeing kids progress. It’s what’s driven me throughout my career.”
Littman moved to the east coast in late 2019. The ensuing pandemic would put a hold on her hopes to get back into teaching, but she is gearing up to resume her efforts in earnest. In addition to her typical role as a teacher, Littman has an extensive history working with kids that have behavioral struggles and special education needs. She is also certified in gifted education.
“I’ve worked with all different kinds of children throughout my career,” Littman continued. “I have experience creating lessons and curriculums that accommodate the needs of all types of learners. My job is to reach everyone including the child who cannot attend for long, the child who needs more repetition and the child who learns quickly and needs higher-level material to avoid boredom. All of these children have special needs that must be met. I find this part of teaching exciting!”
Tutoring brings with it the ability to focus specifically on one student and one skill at a time. This is personalized education, and usually leads to more progress faster. That is why Littman often creates material specifically for a student. For example, if a child is beginning to read and loves dinosaurs, she will write a dinosaur story at that reading level. This can supply the motivation the child needs.
“The best way to teach a child is to make it fun,” Littman continued. “So I really go out of my way to make sure that the material has an appeal for the child I’m working with. As a result they’re more willing to learn with me, rather than withdrawing because they see the session as ‘extra work.’”
Over the course of her career, Littman has worked with countless students and watched them progress academically. As she explained, the most worthwhile moments are when her students finally grasp something they’d been struggling with.
“I love it when I see the moment of realization in a child’s eye,” Littman continued. “There have been times where I’ve had students who are having such trouble understanding a certain thing, but then they just light up and go, ‘Oh, I get it!’ In those moments they’re so happy they’re practically jumping out of their seats.”
Littman has found a deep appreciation for teaching, and is excited to be getting back into it. She looks forward to the work she’ll do with her students and is eager to get started.
“My favorite thing is to see a child conquer a new skill or concept they have been struggling with,” Littman went on to say. “The smile that lights up their face is so rewarding to me, because I know that child feels good about themself. That’s the joy of teaching!”
Littman is actively accepting requests for her tutoring services. If you would like to reach her, you can send an email to [email protected], or call 310-386-5320.
Adam Samuel is a journalist from Teaneck. He blogs at www.adamssoapbox.com.
